Forgetting how to live
by Lea Rave
Summary: They just wanted to see a haunted house. They also saw something else. Something is hidden from them. But ghosts don’t exist. Do they? What if the answer was: yes?
1. A haunted house?

**Disclaimer: ** I don't own any of Gosho Aoyama characters (but I want to! ^^), so don't sue me! I only own mine characters. 

**Authors notes: ** Hello. This is my first fic here, so please, don't flame me. Forgive me my bad or really bad ^^ English. I hope I won't make a lot of mistakes, but I don't know grammar that much... I also hope you will enjoy this story. I don't know how many chapters it will have, but maybe about ten. I won't update fast, because I have now much work at school, so please understand. One more thing, don't ask me to write a Shiho/Shinichi fic or Ai/Conan as you prefer. I don't support that couple .

**"Forgetting how to live"**

_Chapter one: A haunted house? _

__

Friday. It was a really busy day in Beika. It was the end of the week. A lot of cars were occupying the streets, a lot of people were walking down the sidewalks. One of them fast, one of them slowly. Children and teenagers were happy, because that was the last day of school in the week. No more exams, no more rude teachers and friends. In a quite big elementary school called Teitan Elementary, kids were "jumping" out of their place of education. Only four of them stayed at one of the classrooms. They were talking happily about something. One of them was not sharing the excitement of the others. He preferred to sit alone in his desk. His name was Conan Edogawa. He knew that he didn't belong to those children, he was a detective. A seventeen year old detective called Shinichi Kudo, but they didn't know it. He picked up a pencil and started to write something on a blank sheet of paper. He was bored. He wasn't interested in someone called Yaiba and his adventures. He didn't watch that stuff. A brown haired girl turned to him and saw that he was not interested what she was talking about with her friends. Mitsuhiko and Genta. It was Ayumi Yoshida. She thought of something to say to Conan and she finally got it.

"Hey Conan!? Maybe ... maybe, you know what is with Ai today?" – certainly a honey blond girl wasn't here at school today. They didn't know that she was at "her" home finding a cure to a poison called APTX.

"What ... oh, you mean Haibara, she is ... sick." - Conan quickly made up a lie.

"Nothing new. I can't get it why Ai-chan is so often sick and when we get to professors house she looks well." – Mitsuhiko was a quite clever kid.

"Maybe she has a headache! And it's gone when the school ends! – but Genta wasn't as clever as him.

"Maybe Ai just has some health problems. Oh! Did you guys heard about the haunted house in Kyoto?" – Ayumi wanted to change the subject and she memorized something that her mom told her yesterday.

'Not again, when they once dragged me to a "haunted" house it was a murder and a woman hold her son there in a jail. Then they thought that my house is haunted. Besides I don't believe in ghosts.' – thought Conan, still drawing something with the pencil that he hold in his hand.

"What!? A haunted house!? What details do you know about it Ayumi?" – Genta looked at the girl curiously, he really liked all kind of ghost stories.

"Genta, Genta, ghosts do not exist. It's just a story and it's stupid. I don't believe in such things."- Conan looked at him and stopped drawing. Somehow he was also a little curious, but just a little.

"Hey guys! Listen to me! It's not just a story, but many people hear something from that house and in the area of it many of them even saw something. I don't know the whole story, but my grandma lives pretty near to that house. Once there was a small, luxurious hotel. It was maybe a... I can't remember well, but it was about a hundred years ago. One day there came a rich couple to take a wedding. As my great grandma said to my grandma the man wasn't friendly. He was rude. The girl was a quiet person. They never took that wedding. The night before it the bride was brutally killed and the groom disappeared. Some people said that he killed her, but he was rich and the police never suspected him. But they had a child, it was born a month before the wedding and his dad just left him. I think he was a terrible man! To live his only child and kill, sorry "maybe" kill his future bride! Anyway, the police suspected one of the girls friend. He wasn't rich, so they just thrown him into the jail and a month later hanged him, because they thought he was jealous of her and killed her. From the date of the death of this guy, people say that once in a month when is a full moon, the girl is appearing beside the house. Sometimes they here someone playing on a violin. The house it's now empty. No one wants to buy it, because everyone thinks it's haunted. The reason why I'm telling you this story it's because tomorrow I'm going to my grandma and I want really to see a haunted house. And I thought that maybe ... maybe ... you could all come with me." - Ayumi finished her story and looked at Mitsuhiko, Genta and Conan. They were interested. Even Conan, who said before he didn't believe in ghosts.

"Wow! Cool! Of course, we are coming with you Ayumi! Right guys!? – Genta boomed and jumped of the desk that he was sitting on.

"Well, I have to ask my parents, I will call you in the evening, okay Ayumi, oh look it's getting late, I must go home! – Mitsuhiko got his backpack.

"Wait guys! What about ... what about ... Ayumis grandma!?" – Conan, maybe was curious, but he really didn't want to go anywhere this weekend with those kids.

"Oh, don't worry Conan, I already asked her. And she agreed, you know my grandma wants to stay at this haunted house for the weekend. She is remounting it. And she said we could bring more people with us if we want to." – said Ayumi a little shy. She didn't knew what could be their reaction, to that, that they will be living in "this" house. 

"How cool! So we will be living in "that" house! – Genta was almost at the door as he heard this, he was already late for dinner and he was really hungry.

"Um ... yes. So Conan, are you coming?" – Ayumi looked at him with those pleading eyes.

He knew that he wouldn't resist, and finally he would agree, of course he didn't believe in ghosts, but those eyes, were as they would cry if he said "no". But he was also curious about this murder. It was somehow mysterious. Who killed this girl and why? And if there are really ghosts, why is she haunting that house. But it was nonsense. Ghosts didn't exist. And he was a 17 year old detective, that should not believe in such stories. But if ghosts existed? Nonsense.

"So, Conan, can we count on you?" – Mitsuhiko was already out of the classroom and he and Genta planned to go over to his house.

"Um ... yes ..." – He agreed and he saw happiness in Ayumis eyes.

It was mysterious and he would find the murderer, ever if he is not alive. Of course ghosts didn't exist. Did they?

**To be continued.**

****

So, how was it? I hope you liked it and maybe you'll read next chapters of this story. If you want to suggest something or comment this story, please review. As I wrote at the beginning please no flames, I'm a gentle person and words can really hurt me ^^. 

Thank you for reading. 


	2. Who killed on the 16 July?

** Disclaimer: ** Again, I don't own Detective Conan or any of Gosho's characters. I just own my characters and the plot of this story.

** Authors notes: ** I thought that I won't update this story again, I wanted to write this story and keep it in my computer, but I made up my mind and I'm finally updating it ^^. Not many people reviewed it, but I don't count on reviews, because I'm not a good writer and my English is pretty bad. I hope you will like the second chapter. 

**"Forgetting how to live"**

_ Chapter two: Who killed on the 16 July?_

Conan was slowly walking home. He was passing many people, talking teenagers, running around kids and adults holding some shopping bags. When he stopped by one cafe to see what time it was he suddenly felt hungry. Conan decided to speed up, but then a sudden idea came to his mind. He remembered the murder which Ayumi was talking about. Something in this story was not right and he felt that one chapter was missing. It was weird, this whole story.

'There is something wrong... Why the groom ran away when his fiancé was killed and why did he intended to marry her. I suppose she wasn't rich if her friend that maybe killed her was poor. Rich people often only know people from their material class. So maybe he loved her, but then it was weird he ran away and left his child. But if he killed her? Then it was suspicious why he was marrying her. Something here is missing. If only I could know who they were. Especially the victim.' – Conan thought. 

When he was near "his" house or Ran's house, he still didn't know how to figure out who were the characters of Ayumi's story. It wouldn't be easy to know it, because it happened a hundred years ago. Conan walked into the building and saw that no one was in the agency, so he decided to go upstairs. When he entered the apartment he didn't here any voices. So maybe no one was at home. He walked inside the living room and saw a note on the table. He took it in his hand and started to read.

_ Conan, _

_ I'm with Sonoko shopping and dad went to one of his friend's house. I suppose he won't be back to midnight, I will be home at 9:00 PM. You have the dinner in the fridge._

_ Ran_

'Oh, perfect, Ran is out shopping and I won't have much time to talk to her about the trip Kyoto.' – Conan put down the note and walked into the kitchen. Suddenly the phone called. He hoped it wasn't someone to bother him today. He wanted to think alone. He walked to the ringing subject and answered the call. 

"Hello, Mouri's detective agency." – he didn't sound nice.

"Hi Shin-chan! How are you?" – Conan's eyes widened. It was his mom and this was the last person he wanted to talk with today.

"What do you want? You don't call me just to ask me how am I? – he wanted to hang up on her.

"Oh, why you are being so rude, you know you are my son!" – Yukiko as always had a sweetly sounding voice.

"Okay, okay, I'm not in the mood today, please tell me why are you calling me when I'm about to make myself a dinner?" – she was disturbing him in finding the right plate in the fridge and putting it in the microwave. 

"Oh, Shin-chan! It's about a murder case! I know you will be interested!" – it was suspicious, his mom called him to tell him about a murder case.

"So? What it is about?" – he sat on a chair and was about to listen about some murder of one of Yukiko's friends that he have to solve.

"You see, my close friend's mother was murdered and your dad is out of country, he said he needs some inspiration to write his new book. So, I can't ask him for help. But you see, maybe you heard about a haunted hou—" 

"Mom! I do not believe in ghosts! If you suspect a ghost murdered her, then fine believe in it but don't ask me for help!" – Conan cut her of, he didn't want to here stories like this anymore.

"But Shin-chan...! Just listen! There wasn't any murder weapon beside the victim. Nothing, even no finger prints. It was like she committed suicide. But it isn't possible, because the killer stabbed her with the knife from the back. And the most important thing, no one was it the house at this time, all doors where locked, windows also. You know they are remounting the house, it will be hotel, so they don't want the thieves to get in. The police is thinking that she invited the murderer to the house, but then how did he get out? The windows are covered with something wooden and if he wanted to get away he had to broke it. Also he couldn't walk out by the door, he had to steal the keys, but no one saw there was a key missing. So?"

"I suppose that was someone from the people where live there. So what do you want me to do?" – Conan was somehow interested with this story.

"Come here of course! I know you don't believe in ghosts, so you could solve this mystery. How about tomorrow? You could take Ran and Kogoro, because I think they won't let you go alone."

"Mom! I can't tomorrow, I'm going to Kyoto with Ayumi and others! You know there happened a mystery murder and I WANT to solve it!"

"Shin-chan! This house I am talking about is also in Kyoto! You know people say it's haunted. How exiting! You know I heard that the owner of the house has a surname Yoshida... Isn't this Ayumi's? So I hope we will meet! Bye, bye Shin-chan!" – and she hanged up.

Conan looked on the receiver that he hold in his hand. So he was going tomorrow to Kyoto to a "haunted" house where a murder occurred now and hundred years ago.

'Still I want to know something about Ayumi's story. I can't go to the library it's closed now. Well, maybe I could visit professor Agasa. I could look into father's documents, I suppose this case would be interesting to him...'

So Conan forgot about his dinner, quietly waiting for him. He grabbed his coat and ran out the apartment. 

***

Ran and Sonoko were walking down the crowded street of Beika. People were busy getting to their own homes of night jobs. 

"So Ran" – Sonoko showed her a guy that was walking in front of them – "How do you think, he is cute and handsome, maybe I could go with him on a date?"

"Sonoko! I think he has his own problems now, look, he looks like he was sad. I don't think he would want to go on a date in this state." – Ran earlier noticed that this guy was walking with his head low and he didn't even notice when a running and screaming kid bumped into him.

"Oh, Ran! I know! Maybe a girl dumped him! I think I could talk to him, maybe he could cheer up!" – Sonoko grabbed Ran's arm and ignored her protesting screams. They went after the guy. 

They walked after him about ten minutes, he didn't seem to notice it. He stepped out from the crowded street to turn into a complete empty one. Sonoko didn't want to give up on him. She gathered her whole courage and decided to speed up and talk to him. They were so close to him, that Ran was sure, that he could hear them following him. Suddenly he turned into a narrow street. The girls did that after him. But... he was gone. It was no sign of him. 

"Ran? Where is he? He couldn't enter a building, we would see it, we were to close to him. It looks like he disappeared!" – Sonoko looked around again.

"Um, Sonoko I think we should go back. You know I think dad will be mad it is 9:30 PM already." – Ran grabbed Sonoko and pulled her out the narrow alley. She was scarred. What if it was a ghost. A chill came down her spine. 

***

Conan was now at professor's house. The old man was now making tea in the kitchen. Ai was still working on the computer and she didn't pay attention to her surroundings. Conan was looking over Yusaku's files. There was a lot of interesting cases there, but till now he didn't find nothing about the murder in Kyoto. Suddenly he found something interesting. Year 1895. This was it. Conan saw three pictures attached to the file. The person on the first one was a man, he had a arrogant look in his eyes and a mustache. He was dressed in a, as Conan supposed, expensive tuxedo. He was standing in front of a big building. It was a bank. Conan saw a sign on the wall. On the second photograph was a woman. She had long curly hair, she looked somehow mysterious on this picture. She was smiling, but her eyes were sad. And the last picture. It was a man, he was standing outside a house. This house was strange. Conan didn't know why. The man was wearing glasses and smiling, but it was a sad smile. Beside him stood a small girl, she was about 7 years old. Conan put the pictures on the table and started to read the file. He skipped the part where the murder was described. It didn't interest Conan. The woman was shot and a maid working in the hotel found her dead. Her child was crying in the bed and her fiancé wasn't there. Conan started to read what his father wrote about the people.

First the victim.

Name: Sherry Stuarts.

'Weird, her name is like Haibara's code name. I know this name does exist, but it's not common.' – Conan thought.

Born in: 16 July 1875.

Died in: 16 July 1895.

'Oh, something interesting. She was killed on the day of her birthday. It could be a coincidence, but it was strange, so someone could do it on purpose.'

Family: Parents: Jack Stuarts, Natalie Stuarts (Daniels), no brothers or sisters. Parents died murdered in 16 July 1878. Her grandparents died also, their house burned in 1875.

'What the!? Her parents also died on 16 July! This is getting weird, really weird...'

There was some other information, but not that interesting. She was an reporter and had only two friends. She wasn't a tragic person or someone mysterious. But, Conan found something suspicious again...

Roxanne Melbourne, one of her friends, was burned in her house on 16 July 1894, he sister, also Sherry's friend, drank a poison and died the same day as her sister, but she was then in Scotland.

'Why all of the people she knew died on the day of her birthday. Maybe she killed them and her fiancé knew about it and killed her, or maybe her friend. But why on the same day, it's strange, really strange.'

Next he read the information about her fiancé. There was nothing interesting in them. He was an owner of a bank, oh sorry, a few banks. He was one of the most rich people in London. Conan still didn't knew where he meet Sherry and why did he fell in love with her. Maybe. His name was Henry Saintemilion, just like Ran's English teacher. 

Then he began to read the information about Sherry's friend. As his father wrote he was a scientist and he hadn't had a job. He invented for people individually. He hadn't had any parent's, his mother was also murdered, just as Sherry's and his father was a sailor. He took of on a trip to America and never returned, his ship sank. His son lived with his grandfather until the day of his death, then he moved to his uncle's and aunt's house. Oh, and his name was Jay. Jay Silverstone. He also wasn't a interesting person to Conan. 

When he reached the end of the last page he noticed a note with a pencil. His father wrote that. _As I suppose __ Henry is the murderer._ This is what it said. So his father thought that he killed her. But Conan didn't think like that after reading the files. He was sure that Jay did it. He had some thing in common with Sherry and his father wrote that he "maybe" was really in love with her, but she hated him. So, as Conan guessed, Jay went insane and killed her.

***

When Conan was walking back home it was already past midnight. He wrote a note to Ran and her father, but he knew she will be mad at him. And maybe she wouldn't let him to go to Kyoto. In the beginning he didn't want to, but now this case was pretty interesting. And his mother's friend's mother was killed there. So, he could solve two cases. But he knew that if he would solve the first one nothing would happen, because this people are already dead. When he was walking down the street he suddenly saw a woman standing in front of the shop. She looked at him as he knew him. She smiled, but it was an arrogant smile. Conan turned around to see if he was alone with the woman, but no one was there. When he turned around to face her, she... just wasn't there! 

'What the!? Where is she!? She couldn't walk away without me noticing it. She also couldn't walk inside a shop, it is closed. So, how did she!?' – Conan looked around with widened eyes, but he didn't see her. It was weird.

Then he remembered that he saw her somewhere. But where? He knew it was not long ago. Maybe today. Then a photo fell out of the file he was holding tightly. He picked it up and his eyes widened in shock. The woman looked just like the woman on the photo. Sherry Stuarts.

'It's nonsense, she isn't a ghost! Ghosts do NOT exist!'

He didn't notice when he started to run. When he reached the agency he stopped running and look at the dark windows. But he knew Ran didn't sleep. He sighed and walked in the building. 

**To be continued.**

This chapter is longer, but I like more the first one. I hope it wasn't that bad. Thank you for reviews and I hope some more people will comment this story. I won't update quickly, because I have now a lot of exams. So thank you for reading.


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